Early Vote on Cards After Election Reform

Monti visits Napolitano. Casini and Bersani open to dialogue

ROME – The day after the political firestorm ignited by the government’s announcement of the possible separation of regional and national elections, President Napolitano met the prime minister at the Quirinale Palace. Mr Monti had already spoken on the phone to Angelino Alfano, Pier Luigi Bersani and Pier Ferdinando Casini. A day of intense activity, culminating in the Quirinale encounter, produced agreement on the need to avoid a traumatic end to the current legislature, which would jeopardise the reforms put in place so far by Mr Monti’s government of technocrats.

In general terms, president and prime minister reckon the deadlock over timing can be broken with a March election day combining regional votes in Lazio, Molise and Lombardy with the national vote. An early – if only slightly – election cannot be ruled out but for the president of Italy, approval of the stability budget and the election law is an essential condition. This makes timing a complex jigsaw puzzle. Yesterday, the Senate leader Renato Schifani stepped in to confirm that election reform is on the timetable for debate “before the end of November” and that “the text should be approved in committee next week”.

Following the refusal of Angelino Alfano, who does not want the separate regional and general elections suggested by the interior minister, the Prime Minister’s Office is working to quench the flames of a government crisis openly fuelled by the People of Freedom (PDL). Before yesterday’s Quirinale meeting, Democratic Party (PD) secretary Pier Luigi Bersani sent a significant positive signal, making it known that a combined election day was not out of the question for him and that once the electoral law was in place, regional and general elections could be held on the same day. Mr Bersani did, however, intimate that he was for a spring vote in mid March or early April, going back to the original proposal drafted in the Council of Ministers. In the wake of Mr Monti’s talks with other party secretaries, the possibility of an early March vote gained consensus as a midway solution which keeps the PDL and Christian Democrat UDC happy and to which the PD will not object. Pier Ferdinando Casini’s position is not far removed: “We cannot afford a five month-long election campaign”.

A March election date would include a painless exit strategy were Mr Monti to resign following a withdrawal of confidence by the PDL once approval was secured for the stability budget, election reform and perhaps also the decree law on the ineligibility for election of those with definitive criminal convictions. Should the “odd majority” break up before its time, President Napolitano could send the government back to Parliament to verify the numbers. At that point, Parliament would be dissolved around 60 days early.

All this will be discussed in the Council of Ministers today, although the Prime Minister’s Office has said that no decision is expected. This follows the interior minister Anna Maria Cancellieri’s announcement that the regional vote would be brought forward to 10 February with respect to the general election date, initially pencilled in for 7 April. As the government seeks a way out of the maze, it will have to take account of the Council of State’s ruling today on whether to grant the request for suspension presented by the outgoing Lazio regional chair Renata Polverini. The regional administrative court requires the Lazio election date to be decided today.